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My first trip with Jimmy Grant was on the Mahout deep sea ; Jimmy was sailing as third getting in his motor time ( although he had been Chief for a while )I was a 2nd trip apprentice and his watch mate .

I stayed on the motor ships ; got my tickets and was promoted to Chief at age 28 . Imagine my suprise when Jimmy joined Mahsud on the coast to finish his motor time as third ( he only needed a few weeks ) I made a deal with him that I would cover his UMS watch during the night if he would do my abstracts and log ; he was happy to agree.

Was Cliff Watson known as "Batman" ? Did first ever coastal with him on the Maidan. Sailed with Jimmy Grant on the Mahout a couple of times , can't believe he sailed as a third ......I was with him when he was C/E and John Pedley was 2/E for motor time (or possibly some other reason). There was another chief on the Mahout ..John ???? ended up in South Africa I believe....he and all the other engineers were under 30 at the time.

I also sailed with Jimmy Grant as Chief and John Pedley was second doing his motor time. Johns wife was with him and insisted on referring to him as Chief until
Jimmy informed her there was only one Chief Engineer and it was him.

Jimmy was on the Mahout 65/66 doing his motor time keeping the 12/4 and sailing as 3rd although he still wore his chiefs braid . John Watt was chief and Dave Meek 2nd ; 4th was Errol Jackson there was no 5th but 2 apprentices ; myself and Martin Clark .
After the trip I was promoted to acting 5th and did the coast keeping the 8/12 with an apptrentice as watch mate . Stew Reid was 2nd Eng and I forget the name of the 3rd .

I also sailed with Jimmy Grant as Chief and John Pedley was second doing his motor time. Johns wife was with him and insisted on referring to him as Chief until
Jimmy informed her there was only one Chief Engineer and it was him.

This sounds familiar from a long way back........Joy Pedley was on that trip.... Mike ???? 4th eng and his wife Rosey...... are we talking the same trip ? UK ....Red Sea.. Calcutta...States

Jimmy was on the Mahout 65/66 doing his motor time keeping the 12/4 and sailing as 3rd although he still wore his chiefs braid . John Watt was chief and Dave Meek 2nd ; 4th was Errol Jackson there was no 5th but 2 apprentices ; myself and Martin Clark .
After the trip I was promoted to acting 5th and did the coast keeping the 8/12 with an apptrentice as watch mate . Stew Reid was 2nd Eng and I forget the name of the 3rd .

Hi Derek...John Watt appeared in "Motor Ship" singing the praises of Sharples separators !! Errol Jackson left the Mahout in Calcutta after she came off charter I think he was acting 2/E at the time ....he left the company after that, saw him last at the Bootle Reunion he was working locally in Liverpool.Paddy lost the end of a finger in Chittagong on the Manipur ( Ivernia ) never saw or heard of him again but he got home safely......never met John Watt but remember Paddy wasn't his biggest fan. All a long time ago.

Was the John Watt piece in Motor Ship not praising the Rolls Royce generator on the Mahronda? (or was it Magadapur)

I'm pretty sure the advert was for Sharples separators in particular the infernal "Gravitol" but maybe the Rolls Royce alternators as well, I think it was all new stuff at the time. I couldn't agree with his endorsement on the separators but the RR engines were OK but some may disagree

John g,
Have you not forgotten the Manipur's Rolls gen. sets. How many times did we black out before we even left the US?
I particularly remember one of them later on in the voyage, after Paddy lost his finger when I was on watch with Dave Ireland when it threw a rod through the side.
Battery start was not a good idea in the tropics either, though that's not Roll's fault.

Was Cliff Watson known as "Batman" ? Did first ever coastal with him on the Maidan. Sailed with Jimmy Grant on the Mahout a couple of times , can't believe he sailed as a third ......I was with him when he was C/E and John Pedley was 2/E for motor time (or possibly some other reason). There was another chief on the Mahout ..John ???? ended up in South Africa I believe....he and all the other engineers were under 30 at the time.

Hi John,
As I remember the chief was John Hill who relieved Jimmy Grant in the states.
When we joined Mahout in Japan Jimmy was already there hence he was relieved earlier whereas we had to take her back to Calcutta after our long stay in Savannah due to the strike.

John g,
Have you not forgotten the Manipur's Rolls gen. sets. How many times did we black out before we even left the US?
I particularly remember one of them later on in the voyage, after Paddy lost his finger when I was on watch with Dave Ireland when it threw a rod through the side.
Battery start was not a good idea in the tropics either, though that's not Roll's fault.

Cheers,

nick jones.

Hi Nick,
Trust your keeping well ,enjoying retirement?. I can well remember the mess in the US Gulf ports, I think we were down to one RR unit at one stage and shoreside "Detroit Diesel" contractors messed one up during re assembly . Having said that we got all 4 ok in the end, I have to this day a theory as to why the rod popped out but I'll keep that one to myself.I always thought the RR units were ok as long as you had the right tools,they could be a bit fiddly with all the lock washers and constant oil changes but they were compact if a little difficult to get underneath.

why would you want to get underneath? whole point of building a decent engine is to remove such necessity. I hated the sodding things - designed by the devil and whoever though up that flexible coupling to the mass of spun wires on the end should have been shot. Dependent on which one was on line the possibility of a water leak on the sea side nearly always meant a nice stream of water directly into the alternator. Sea snakes and flap (rockwell) valves were another disaster black outs every hour alongside in Madras with jellyfish and the snakes at anchor there or at Visag always meant impossible to actually isolate the sodding things. Cooling stacks too small after several weeks in sandy rivers and pump efficiencies on the low side . I would love to press the button on a huge explosion under several hundred ton of these deplorable machines. Mind you - on Manipur I think - we had a squad of James Troops(Liverpool) best commandos trying to rebuild the sodding things quicker than we could destroy them again. Around 65% power available and just a complete nightmare by the end.somebody made some money out of them but they certainly made many a 3rd's life hell.
Rgds
H

I liked the RR on Mahout and Markhor ; I did the first full overhaul on RR after it became to expensive for the company to fly these guys around the world . RR agreeed that ships staff could do the work and still keep warranty .
I was third on Markhor and it was pleasent work on watch in the soundproofed compartment with the Stbd 2 units running and us working on the port side .
It was a complete strip down with the exception the crankshaft was not removed although all bearing shells were replaced I had the crew clean all the paint off the entablature and the aluminum shone ! Always hated working on things where one had to clean off paint to get at the nuts .

After the sump was dropped there was adequate room to change the bearings etc .Trickey job working on the oil gallery o rings and the sump seal itself .

After a week or so of cleaning rebuilding I told the Tail Whalla to fill her up and we would test next watch .
I asked him again if it was full of oil " Atcha Sahib''
Now if you remember the low oil; pressure shut down was a mechanical device that had to be overidden to start .

Started her up and after about a minute released the shut down over ride and the machine stopped ?? Repeated the proceedure but let it run a couple of minutes to let the oil pump pick up suction . still no luck !

Checked the oil level and yesit was as dry as a bone ! Had to drop the pan again and checked a couple of bottom ends and main bearings ( all was well as I had put a lot of lub on the bearings during assembly.

Start her up and ahe ran like a charm and all gleaming with the polished aluminium .
I had leared a lesson ; always check yourself ; and do not rely on what people may tell you .

Next watch to my horror I found the Serang had painted the bloo-y thing white again ; he kept out of my way for a while .

RR don't make bad engines but the application was always questionable.So long as there was the time to look after the units and there was awareness of the shortcomings under certain conditions things worked out. On the Mahout there was time during watches to pay attention to details, on the North Atlantic things were a bit different if I remember thus the reliance on James Troop. I'm sure many have questioned the the cooling stacks and the ingress of pond life which was the reason for having a junior eng on nights whist in Calcutta.

RR don't make bad engines but the application was always questionable.So long as there was the time to look after the units and there was awareness of the shortcomings under certain conditions things worked out. On the Mahout there was time during watches to pay attention to details, on the North Atlantic things were a bit different if I remember thus the reliance on James Troop. I'm sure many have questioned the the cooling stacks and the ingress of pond life which was the reason for having a junior eng on nights whist in Calcutta.

Quite right about the cooling stacks and the fact that the sea strainers were very fine mesh . We had trouble going up the hoogley with them plugging with shrimps Also as you mention in Calcuuta just around dawn and dusk the shrimp would come up and the filters would plug . Duplex filters ; as one was cleaned and changed over to clean the other there was little time to wait before changing over again and repeating the cycle .
It was either Allan Atack or Bill Sherrat who came up with an excellent fix for the passage up the Hoogley .

Had a line from the swimming pool drain overboard piped into the generator cooling inlet line with suitable isolation valves to the aux SW cooling system .
Before Sand heads when the sea was still clean we would fill the swimming pool . On the trip up the Hoogley if we had any filter problems we would switch over to the swimming pool and cool the Rolls Royces by gravitating the pool water through the cooling system . We had enough water to run under those conditions for about 8 hrs . The height of the pool gave a good head pressure .

RR don't make bad engines but the application was always questionable.So long as there was the time to look after the units and there was awareness of the shortcomings under certain conditions things worked out. On the Mahout there was time during watches to pay attention to details, on the North Atlantic things were a bit different if I remember thus the reliance on James Troop. I'm sure many have questioned the the cooling stacks and the ingress of pond life which was the reason for having a junior eng on nights whist in Calcutta.

John Smith one of my old Chiefs in Fyffes served his apprenticeship with James Troop between 1944-49. I sent his some bits and pieces recently from the company's website which he found interesting - particularly that the company was still going. From their website they seem to be agents for just about all the diesel engine makes.
I would be interested to hear of your experiences with Troop's work.

I may well have told this yarn on another Thread but I'll repeat it anyway.

I can't remember which ship this was on, ("Causeway" or "Conveyor"), but it really doesn't matter.

We were in Liverpool and ACL were still in that limbo, of dockers staffing, where it still hadn't been thrashed-out as to how many of those layabouts were needed to work these ships in comparisson to normal ships.

Consequently there were many extra dockers came aboard every shift with the majority doing nothing, apart from being there.

This, following, happened on one of the rare occasions when we weren't shut-down, to carry-out some vital work, and we were on full watches.

I was on 12/4 and I had done a walk-about, checking the engine-room etc. and, also, I'd gone to check the RR "Gennies" making sure everything was all tickety-boo.

It was Winter and I remember the RR room being full of all kinds of dockers having a kip in the nice warm conditions and me picking my way gently round these sumbering oafs, apologising if I accidentally touched one with a foot whilst picking my way throught these dolts.

I'd usually be told, "F**k off! I'm trying to sleep!"

I wasn't best pleased by these highly-paid, idle, wasters telling me "to go forth and multiply" and hit on a fiendish plan!

One of the duties of the 12-4 3/E, (there were two 3/E's, the other one doing the 4/8 as the 2/E was on Day Work), was to give the RR's a run-up. Normally, of course, this was done from Noon to 16.00hrs to cause least disturbance but I decided 02.00hrs was as good-a-time-as-any so, on return to the Control Room, went to the RR panel and pressed the green button!

The Second Mate came rushing into the Control Room to see what was going on and told me the sight of a rake of dockers exiting the RR room, into a freezing-cold night, was absolutely hilarious!

Needless to say the screams from the Head Docker, to the Second Mate, were almost human as he demanded to know why this, (hugely noisy!), engine had started and demanded seeing the Chief!

He eventually settled for the 2/E (Mick Connely, I think), who said it was normal for these engines to be given a test-run every-so-often and I wasn't to know there would be load of, (trespassing) dockers slumbering in the Emergency Generator Room! He knew, of course, the full story but wasn't giving that load of tossers any backing!!

He DID give me a mild bollocking 'cos he'd had to turn-to!!

Doubtless all-hands who dealt with these engines will remember the starting-up of these engines! A high-pitched whine from the electric oil-pump, for a few seconds, to prime the oil-system, a few, battery-powered, revs from the engine and then a huge blast of noise as the engine went to maximum revs. in a few seconds!! (Blimey I STILL remember after 40-odd years!!!!).

Sailed with Ch.Eng Russel Gordon on Maipura twice. First was Jan to Aug 1959 then again Aug 1960 t0 Feb 1961. Both were on so called, Port Line charter to Australia and New Zealand. Maipura had large reefer capacity. Skip[pers were Capt Kinley on first voyage, Capt. CWC Parry the latter.Both were fabulous voyages and very happy lads 'oil and water' mixing well. ! I met him and his lovely wife at Hammonds 1986 reunion and he looked then very fit and youthful.Is he still alive I wonder ? I was Deck Cadet then second trip 4th. Mate.

Sailed with Ch.Eng Russel Gordon on Maipura twice. First was Jan to Aug 1959 then again Aug 1960 t0 Feb 1961. Both were on so called, Port Line charter to Australia and New Zealand. Maipura had large reefer capacity. Skip[pers were Capt Kinley on first voyage, Capt. CWC Parry the latter.Both were fabulous voyages and very happy lads 'oil and water' mixing well. ! I met him and his lovely wife at Hammonds 1986 reunion and he looked then very fit and youthful.Is he still alive I wonder ? I was Deck Cadet then second trip 4th. Mate.

Hi Andy,

Ist NZ trip was AUG 1959--JAN1960
Master was Captain Tommy Fox-LLoyd. he had his wife with him and it was his final voyage before retirement.
If anyone is interested there is an excellent waterco;our painting of Maipura leaving Liverpool for that 1st NZ voyage. A marine artist by name of Lukman Sinclair Has his own website.

I think Russell Gordon went to the Maipura direct from his first voyage as CE on Maihar, voyage 94, 23. May 1957- 1 Dec. 1957 (long one!). Sad to see him going. Last I heard he was suffering badly from dementia and lived south of Newport on Tay.( forget the name, it was inland) His wife had been very ill for a number of years previously.

Thanks for that update and sorry to hear both not well. I guess they are both in their 80's now. He was a very keen photographer and undoubtedly will have a fine record of his Brocklebank days. When as a mere apprentice, I asked him if I may learn how the engine room functioned he fixed me some time on the odd watch with the 2nd and 4th engineers so I'd learn first hand. I've long forgotten their names. Russell was a very kind man and nothing too much trouble.